Brushless wiper motor

ABSTRACT

Since a shape of a stator  44  is made mirror symmetric with respect to a rotor  45  as a 4-pole/6-slot type, rotational deflection of the rotor  45  can be suppressed. As the minimum number of poles and the minimum number of slots, which can suppress the rotational deflection of the rotor  45 , a frequency of magnetic noises approaches a frequency of mechanical noises. Thus, it is possible to integrate the whole noises generated by the DR-side wiper motor  21  into a low frequency range thereof, and to make the acoustic sensitivity (dB) of a vehicle interior smaller. Since the stator  44  is fixed inside a housing  40  and mounting legs fixed to a vehicle body fixed portion are provided in the housing  40 , the stator  40 , which is a source of the magnetic noises, can be fixed to a vehicle via only the housing  40 . Therefore, a brushless wiper motor with quietness improved further can be designed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/565,531, filed Oct. 10, 2017, which is a National Stage applicationof International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2016/061295, filed on Apr.6, 2016, which claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No.2015-083856, filed on Apr. 16, 2015, each of which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a brushless wiper motor that causes awiper member provided above a windshield of a vehicle to swing.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally, a wiper motor with a decelerating mechanism, which has asmall size and from which a large output power can be obtained, isadopted as a driving source for a wiper device that is mounted in avehicle, such as an automobile. This makes it possible to improvemountability of the wiper device in a vehicle body. Further, in order tosuppress propagation of electric noises to in-vehicle equipment, such asa radio, a brushless wiper motor that does not have a commutator and abrush may be adopted. Thus, adoption of the brushless wiper motor allowsgeneration of electric noises to be suppressed. Since the brushlesswiper motor does not have a commutator and/or a brush, it is possible toimprove quietness further, and to reduce a size and a weight thereof.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-223317 describes such abrushless wiper motor with a decelerating mechanism, for example. Thebrushless wiper motor described in Japanese Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2013-223317 includes a motor unit and a deceleratingmechanism unit. The motor unit has a yoke, and the deceleratingmechanism has a gear housing.

A stator in which a U-phase coil, a V-phase coil, and a W-phase coil arewound is fixed inside the yoke. A rotor is rotatably disposed inside thestator. Further, six magnetic poles of a permanent magnet are embeddedinside the rotor. The brushless wiper motor having a so-called interiorpermanent magnet (IPM) structure is adopted.

On the other hand, the decelerating mechanism, which is composed of aworm and a worm wheel, is housed inside the gear housing. The worm isrotated by the rotor, and thus, turning force with a high torque isoutputted from an output shaft of the worm wheel.

SUMMARY

However, in the above brushless wiper motor described in Japanese PatentApplication Publication No. 2013-223317, there is still a problem thatmagnetic noises are generated. In particular, an electric vehicle, ahybrid vehicle, and the like may travel or run by only an electric motorin a state where an engine is stopped. For this reason, it is requiredto suppress generation of magnetic noises to improve its quietness.Therefore, inventors of the present invention have measured acousticsensitivity (dB) of a vehicle interior, and have developed a brushlesswiper motor having a structure that allows the acoustic sensitivity (dB)of the vehicle interior to be reduced on the basis of the result ofmeasurement.

Here, FIG. 10 shows a diagram for explaining a fixing structure of abrushless wiper motor fixed to a vehicle and a graph for explainingacoustic sensitivity thereof. The brushless wiper motor is installed ina mounting space shown in FIG. 10. More specifically, a first bracket 3and a second bracket 4 are provided in the vicinity of a front endportion of a windshield 2 provided in a vehicle 1. The brushless wipermotor (not shown in the drawing) is fixed to the first bracket 3 and thesecond bracket 4. One end of the first bracket 3 in a longitudinaldirection thereof is fixed to a cowl top panel 5 extending in aright-to-left direction of the vehicle 1. Further, the other end of thefirst bracket 3 in the longitudinal direction thereof is fixed to afront side member 6 extending in a front-to-rear direction of thevehicle 1. Moreover, the second bracket 4 is disposed at a front side ofthe cowl top panel 5, and is fixed to a dash panel upper 7 extending inthe right-to-left direction of the vehicle 1.

The acoustic sensitivity (dB) of the brushless wiper motor during anoperation has been measured at a location near the first bracket 3placed closer to the vehicle interior of the vehicle 1. This measurementhas provided results as shown in FIG. 10. Namely, a center frequency inan octave band measured at a portion (B) at the cowl top panel 5 side,which is particularly audible, becomes the maximum near a frequency “1kHz” compared with the center frequency measured at a fixed portion (A)of the brushless wiper motor. On the other hand, the center frequencymeasured at a portion (C) closer to the front side member 6 than theportion (B) on the cowl top panel 5 side and the center frequencymeasured at portions (D) and (E) further closer to the front side member6 than the portion (C) becomes smaller than the center frequencymeasured at the portion (B) around “1 kHz”.

Namely, by approaching a fixed portion of the brushless wiper motorfixed to the vehicle body toward the front side member 6, the acousticsensitivity (dB) of the vehicle interior can be reduced to a certainextent even in the case of the conventional brushless wiper motor.However, in a case where noises generated by the brushless wiper motoris suppressed from propagating to the vehicle interior by modifying ashape of the vehicle side, this causes a degree of freedom in designingthe vehicle (designability and the like) to be reduced. Thus, it isconsidered to be unrealistic.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a brushless wipermotor that is improved in quietness so that the brushless wiper motorcan be applied to a wide range of vehicles including light vehicles,luxury vehicles, electric vehicles, and hybrid vehicles, regardless of afixing structure on a vehicle side.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided abrushless wiper motor configured to cause a wiper member to swing, thewiper member wiping an object attached onto a windshield of a vehicleaway from the windshield, the brushless wiper motor including: a statorfixed inside a housing; a coil wound around the stator; six slotsprovided in the stator, the coil being disposed in each of the slots; arotor configured to rotate with respect to the stator; a permanentmagnet provided on the rotor, the permanent magnet having four magneticpoles arranged alternately along a direction of rotation of the rotor; adecelerating mechanism housed in the housing, the decelerating mechanismbeing configured to reduce speed of rotation of the rotor; an outputshaft configured to transmit rotation of the decelerating mechanism tothe wiper member; and a plurality of fixing legs provided on thehousing, wherein at least one of the plurality of fixing legs is fixedto a vehicle body fixed portion that extends in a right-to-leftdirection of the vehicle.

According to another aspect of the present invention, frequencies ofnoises generated by the brushless wiper motor is made equal to or lowerthan 500 Hz.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, thedecelerating mechanism includes: a worm rotated by the rotor; and a wormwheel provided with teeth, the teeth being configured to engage with theworm, the output shaft being provided on a center of rotation of theworm wheel, wherein an axial dimension of the rotor is smaller than anaxial dimension of the worm.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, at least oneof the plurality of fixing legs is fixed to the vehicle body fixedportion via a buffering member.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, the statoris provided with teeth each of which faces other one with respect to therotor.

According to the present invention, by constituting a brushless wipermotor as a 4-pole/6-slot type, a shape of the stator can be made mirrorsymmetric with respect to the rotor. Therefore, rotational deflection ofthe rotor can be suppressed. Further, as the minimum number of poles andthe minimum number of slots that can suppress rotational deflection ofthe rotor, a frequency of magnetic noises generated during the rotationof the rotor can approach a frequency of mechanical noises of thedecelerating mechanism (low frequency around about 300 Hz). This makesit possible to integrate each of frequencies of magnetic noises andmechanical noises generated by the brushless wiper motor into a lowfrequency range thereof. Thus, it is possible to reduce the acousticsensitivity (dB) of a vehicle interior to improve the quietness of themotor. Therefore, the brushless wiper motor can easily be applied tolight vehicles and luxury vehicles, and it can also be applied toelectric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and the like (improvement in generalversatility).

Further, the fixing legs fixed to the vehicle body fixed portion areprovided in the housing while fixing the stator inside the housing.Thus, the stator, which is a source of the magnetic noises, can be fixedto the vehicle body fixed portion only via the housing. Therefore, theacoustic sensitivity (dB) of the vehicle interior can be estimatedeasily by merely calculating rigidity of the housing, for example. Inother words, it becomes possible to design a brushless wiper motorhaving a structure advantageous for improvement of quietness certainlyand easily. This makes it possible to provide a brushless wiper motorwith quietness improved further.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a mounting state of a wiper deviceon a vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a DR-side wiper motor of FIG. 1 whenviewed from an output shaft side.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged sectional view for explaining a structureof a motor unit.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along an A-A line of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing detail inside a housing (without agear cover).

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a decelerating mechanism, arotating shaft, and a rotor.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the interior of the gearcover.

FIG. 8 is a graph in which acoustic sensitivity (dB) of a vehicleinterior (vicinity of a driver's seat) of each of a light vehicle, amidsize vehicle and a luxury vehicle is compared with each other.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a wiper device according to a secondembodiment.

FIG. 10 shows a diagram for explaining a fixing structure of a brushlesswiper motor to a vehicle and the acoustic sensitivity of the brushlesswiper motor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, a first embodiment according to the present invention willbe described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a mounting state of a wiper deviceon a vehicle. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a DR-side wiper motor ofFIG. 1 when viewed from an output shaft side. FIG. 3 is a partiallyenlarged sectional view for explaining a structure of a motor unit. FIG.4 is a sectional view taken along an A-A line of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is aperspective view showing detail inside a housing (without a gear cover).FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a decelerating mechanism, arotating shaft, and a rotor. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective viewshowing the interior of the gear cover. FIG. 8 is a graph in whichacoustic sensitivity (dB) of a vehicle interior (vicinity of a driver'sseat) of each of a light vehicle, a midsize vehicle and a luxury vehicleis compared with each other.

As shown in FIG. 1, a windshield (front windshield) 11 is provided at afront side of a vehicle 10, such as an automobile. A DR-side wiperdevice 20 and an AS-side wiper device 30 are mounted on the driver'sseat side and a passenger's seat side along a vehicle width direction ofthe vehicle 10 (a right-to-left direction in FIG. 1) and at a front endportion of the windshield 11 (a lower side in FIG. 1), respectively. Inthis manner, as a wipe apparatus according to the present embodiment, anopposite wiping type wiper apparatus that includes a wiper device on thedriver's seat side and a wiper device on the passenger's seat side isadopted. Here, the word “DR-side” denotes a “driver's seat side”, andthe word “AS-side” denotes a “passenger's (assistant driver's) seatside”.

The DR-side wiper device 20 and the AS-side wiper device 30 have aDR-side wiper motor 21 and an AS-side wiper motor 31, respectively. TheDR-side wiper motor 21 and the AS-side wiper motor 31 respectively drivea DR-side wiper arm 22 and an AS-side wiper arm 32 (not shown in detailin the drawing), which are disposed on the windshield 11, so as to swingat predetermined swing angles. As a result, wiper blades (not shown inthe drawing) respectively provided to front ends of the wiper arms 22,32 carry out a reciprocating wiping-out operation on the windshield 11,whereby rainwater or the like (attached object) is wiped away from thewindshield 11 to secure a fine field of view. Here, the wiper arms 22,32 and wiper blades constitute a wiper member of the present invention.

A cowl top panel 12, which forms a vehicle body of the vehicle 10, isprovided at a front end side of the vehicle 10 and in the vicinity ofthe front end portion of the windshield 11. The cowl top panel 12extends between the DR side and the AS side of the vehicle 10, that is,extends so as to traverse the vehicle 10 in the right-to-left direction,and constitutes a vehicle body fixed portion of the present invention.Further, front side members 13 are provided on the DR side and the ASside of the vehicle 10, respectively. Each of the front side members 13extends in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle 10 (an up-and-downdirection in FIG. 1), and constitutes the vehicle body. Moreover, a dashpanel upper 14 is provided on a front side of the cowl top panel 12. Thedash panel upper 14 also extends so as to traverse the vehicle 10 in theright-to-left direction, and constitutes the vehicle body fixed portionof the present invention.

Here, both sides in a longitudinal direction of the cowl top panel 12and both sides in a longitudinal direction of the dash panel upper 14are firmly fixed to the front side members 13 of the DR side and AS sideby welding or the like, respectively. Each of the cowl top panel 12, thefront side member 13, and the dash panel upper 14 is made of ahigh-tensile steel plate (high strength material) in the form of apredetermined shape.

The DR-side wiper device 20 is fixed to a DR-side insertion fixingportion 14 a, a DR-side first screw fixing portion 13 a and a DR-sidesecond screw fixing portion 13 b. The DR-side insertion fixing portion14 a is fixed to the dash panel upper 14 by welding or the like. TheDR-side first screw fixing portion 13 a and the DR-side second screwfixing portion 13 b are fixed to the front side member 13 of the DR sideby welding or the like. On the other hand, the AS-side wiper device 30is fixed to an AS-side first screw fixing portion 14 b, an AS-sidesecond screw fixing portion 13 c, and an AS-side insertion fixingportion 12 a. The AS-side first screw fixing portion 14 b is fixed tothe dash panel upper 14 by welding or the like. The AS-side second screwfixing portion 13 c is fixed to the front side member 13 of the AS sideby welding or the like. The AS-side insertion fixing portion 12 a isfixed to both the front side member 13 of the AS side and the cowl toppanel 12 by welding or the like. Here, the AS-side insertion fixingportion 12 a has the similar shape to that of a first bracket 3 shown inFIG. 10.

In this manner, each of the DR-side wiper device 20 and AS-side wiperdevice 30 is fixed to the vehicle body of the vehicle 10 by beingsupported at three points. As shown in FIG. 1, the same one is used aseach of the DR-side wiper motor 21 and the AS-side wiper motor 31. Eachof the wiper motors 21, 31 has three mounting portions “a”, “b”, and“c”. The mounting portion “a” of the mounting portions “a”, “b”, and “c”is fixed to the vehicle body by being inserted therein. On the otherhand, each of the mounting portions “b” and “c” of the mounting portions“a”, “b”, and “c” is fixed to the vehicle body via a fixing bolt (notshown in the drawing).

Since the wiper motors 21, 31 are the same, a detailed structure of theDR-side wiper motor 21 will be described as a representative thereofusing the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 7, the DR-side wiper motor (brushless wipermotor) 21 includes a housing 40 made of aluminum, a motor cover 60 madeof plastic, and a gear cover 80 made of plastic. The housing 40, themotor cover 60, and the gear cover 80 are coupled to each other with aplurality of fastening screws S (two of them are shown in FIG. 2). Here,sealing members (not shown in the drawing), such as O-ring, are providedbetween the housing 40 and the motor cover 60 and between the housing 40and the gear cover 80, respectively. They prevent rainwater or the likefrom entering into the inside of the DR-side wiper motor 21.

The housing 40 is formed into a predetermined shape by casting a moltenaluminum material or the like. The housing 40 includes a motor housingunit 41 and a decelerating mechanism housing unit 42. The motor housingunit 41 is formed into a bottomed cylindrical shape, as shown in FIG. 3.One end of the motor housing unit 41 in an axial direction (at a rightside in FIG. 3) is formed as an opening portion. A stepped and annularcover fitting portion 41 a, on which a fitting portion 62 a of the motorcover 60 is mounted, is provided at the opening portion. On the otherhand, an annular bottom 41 b is provided at the other end of the motorhousing unit 41 in the axial direction (at a left side in FIG. 3). Athrough hole 41 c, through which a rotating shaft 46 goes rotatably, isformed at a central portion of the annular bottom 41 b.

An annular stepped portion 43 is formed on the interior of the motorhousing unit 41. The stepped portion 43 is composed of an annular bottomwall 43 a and a cylindrical side wall 43 b. A stator 44 is housed insidethe stepped portion 43. The stator 44 is formed into a substantiallycylindrical shape by stacking a plurality of steel plates 44 a made of amagnetic material and bonding them together. A roughly half of an outerperiphery of the stator 44 that is positioned closer to the deceleratingmechanism housing unit 42 along the axial direction is pressed into theside wall 43 b that forms an inner periphery of the motor housing unit41, whereby both the stator 44 and the motor housing unit 41 are fixedfirmly together. An uneven engaging portion (not shown in the drawing)is formed between the outer periphery of the stator 44 and the innerperiphery of the side wall 43 b. This prevents the stator 44 fromrotating relative to the housing 40 when the DR-side wiper motor 21 isdriven.

Coil bobbins 44 b made of resin, which is an insulator, are provided onboth sides of the stator 44 in an axial direction so as to project fromthe stator 44. Coils 44 c of a U phase, a V phase, and a W phase (threephases) are wound in the coil bobbins 44 b by the predetermined windingnumber of times. An end portion of each of these coils 44 c of the Uphase, V phase, and W (not shown in the drawing) is electricallyconnected to the others to form a star connection (Y connection)pattern. However, the connection pattern of the coils 44 c is notlimited to the star connection pattern as a method of connecting therespective coils 44 c. Other connecting method such as delta connection(triangular connection) pattern and the like may be adopted, forexample.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, each of the plurality of steel plates 44 aforming the stator 44 has an annular body portion 44 d. An outerdiameter dimension of the body portion 44 d is set to be slightly largerthan an inner diameter dimension of the motor housing unit 41. As aresult, the stator 44 is pressed into the inside of the motor housingunit 41.

Six teeth 44 e around which the coils 44 c are wound are integrallyprovided in the inside of the body portion 44 d in a radial direction.These teeth 44 e are arranged at equal intervals (60° intervals) in acircumferential direction of the body portion 44 d. Further, six slotsSL1 to SL6, in each of which the coils 44 c are arranged via the coilbobbin 44 b serving as the insulator, are arranged such that each slotis located between a pair of teeth 44 e adjacent to each other.

Each of the coils 44 c is electrically connected to a control board 90(see FIG. 7) fixed inside the gear cover 80 via a wiring unit (not shownin the drawing), which is provided in the housing 40. A driving currentis supplied to each of the coils 44 c at predetermined timing from a FETmodule 96 (see FIG. 7) mounted on the control board 90. This causes anelectromagnetic force to be generated at the stator 44, whereby a rotor45 provided inside the stator 44 is driven by a predetermined drivingtorque (driving force) so as to rotate in a predetermined direction.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rotor 45 is rotatably provided inside thestator 44 in the radial direction via a predetermined gap (air gap). Therotor 45 is formed into a substantially columnar shape by stacking aplurality of steel plates made of a magnetic material (not shown in thedrawing) and bonding them together. A permanent magnet 45 a formed in asubstantially cylindrical shape is mounted on an outer surface of therotor 45 in its radial direction.

The permanent magnet 45 a is magnetized as four magnetic poles such thatthe four magnetic poles are arranged alternately (N pole→S pole→N pole→Spole) along a direction of rotation of the rotor 45. In this manner, asthe DR-side wiper motor 21, a brushless motor with a surface permanentmagnet (SPM) structure in which the permanent magnet 45 a is attached tothe surface of the rotor 45 is adopted. However, the DR-side wiper motor21 is not limited to the brushless motor with the SPM structure. Abrushless motor with an IPM structure, in which a plurality of permanentmagnets is embedded in the rotor 45, may also be adopted as the DR-sidewiper motor 21.

Further, in place of the single permanent magnet 45 a with thesubstantially cylindrical shape, one in which four permanent magnetseach of which has a substantially arc shape as a sectional shape in adirection intersecting an axis line of the rotor 45 are arranged atequal intervals such that their magnetic poles alternate along acircumferential direction of the rotor 45 may be adopted.

In this manner, the DR-side wiper motor 21 according to the presentembodiment uses a 4-pole/6-slot type brushless motor as a drivingsource. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, a shape of the stator 44becomes mirror symmetric with respect to the rotor 45. Therefore, asindicated by arrows with heavy lines in FIG. 4, magnetic attractiveforces F of the stator 44, which are generated when the rotor 45 isrotated, act so as to cancel each other along the direction of rotationof the rotor 45. This suppresses excitation of the rotor 45, andsuppresses the rotational deflection of the rotor 45 and rotating shaft46. As a result, generation of mechanical noises can be suppressedeffectively.

Moreover, a frequency of the magnetic noises generated when the rotor 45is rotated falls within a low frequency range of about 160 Hz to 400 Hzwhen the DR-side wiper motor 21 operates in a normal mode (at the timeof a Lo-level operation). Here, by offsetting the frequency of themagnetic noises to a lower frequency side, it is possible to prevent thenoises from being heard. Generally, a sense of hearing of a human morereadily catches and perceives noise with a high frequency than noisewith a low frequency. In the case of focusing on a point of view ofreducing magnetic noises, a 2-pole/3-slot type brushless motor becomesan ideal type as the DR-side wiper motor 21. However, the DR-side wipermotor 21 is also required to suppress mechanical noises from beinggenerated as described above. For that reason, the 4-pole/6-slot typebrushless motor is adopted as the minimum combination of poles and slotsthat can satisfy both suppression of generation of mechanical noise andsuppression of generation of magnetic noise.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 6, one end side of the rotating shaft 46 inan axial direction (at a right side in FIG. 6) is fixed at a shaftcenter of the rotor 45. A worm 46 b provided with spiral teeth 46 aformed by rolling or the like is integrally provided at the other endside of the rotating shaft 46 in the axial direction (at a left side inFIG. 6). Here, the worm 46 b formed on the rotating shaft 46 is disposedcloser to the decelerating mechanism housing unit 42 than the throughhole 41 c. The worm 46 b and a worm wheel 50 engaging with the worm 46 bconstitute a decelerating mechanism SD.

A first ball bearing 47 is disposed between the rotor 45 and the worm 46b along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 46. The first ballbearing 47 is composed of an outer ring 47 a and an inner ring 47 b,which are made of steel, and a plurality of steel balls 47 c, which areprovided between the outer ring 47 a and the inner ring 47 b. The innerring 47 b is fixed to the rotating shaft 46 by fixing means (not shownin the drawing), such as a retaining ring and caulking. The outer ring47 a is fitted in a first bearing fitting portion 48 provided betweenthe motor housing unit 41 and the decelerating mechanism housing unit 42of the housing 40.

Here, the first ball bearing 47 is fixed to the first bearing fittingportion 48 by pressing it to the first bearing fitting portion 48 bymeans of a stopper member 48 a having elasticity. By fixing the firstball bearing 47 to the first bearing fitting portion 48 in this manner,the rotating shaft 46 cannot move in the axial direction. Therefore, therotating shaft 46 is allowed to smoothly rotate inside the housing 40without rattling in the axial direction.

As shown in FIG. 6, a second ball bearing 49 is fitted to the other endside of the rotating shaft 46 in the axial direction. Similar to thefirst ball bearing 47, the second ball bearing 49 is composed of anouter ring 49 a and an inner ring 49 b, which are made of steel, and aplurality of steel balls (not shown in the drawing), which are providedbetween the outer ring 49 a and the inner ring 49 b. As the second ballbearing 49, a ball bearing smaller than the first ball bearing 47 isadopted.

Here, the first ball bearing 47 has a function to rotatably support therotating shaft 46 and support the rotating shaft 46 so that the rotatingshaft 46 cannot move in the axial direction. For this reason, the firstball bearing 47 is provided so as to become large and sturdy. On theother hand, the second ball bearing 49 has only a function to suppressthe rotational deflection of the other end side of the rotating shaft 46in the axial direction. For this reason, the second ball bearing 49 witha small size can exert this function adequately.

According to the present embodiment, miniaturization of the DR-sidewiper motor 21 is realized by adopting a brushless motor as the DR-sidewiper motor 21 and increasing a reduction gear ratio of the deceleratingmechanism SD. Therefore, a pitch of the teeth 46 a of the worm 46 bbecomes narrow, and the worm 46 b rotates at a high speed. For thatreason, in the present embodiment, the second ball bearing 49 isprovided in order to suppress the rotational deflection of the rotatingshaft 46 at the worm 46 b side to improve quietness as well as rotationefficiency. Here, depending upon the required reduction gear ratio ofthe decelerating mechanism SD (specification of the wiper motor), thesecond ball bearing 49 may be omitted from the DR-side wiper motor 21.

As shown in FIG. 6, an annular first sensor magnet MG1 is fixed betweenthe worm 46 b and the first ball bearing 47 along the axial direction ofthe rotating shaft 46. In other words, both the worm 46 b and the firstsensor magnet MG1 are disposed between the first ball bearing 47 and thesecond ball bearing 49.

Here, an axial dimension L1 of the rotor 45 (permanent magnet 45 a) ismade smaller than an axial dimension L2 of the worm 46 b (L1<L2). Thisreduces a size of the DR-side wiper motor 21 along the axial directionof the rotating shaft 46 thereof. Further, since the DR-side wiper motor21 is a brushless motor, it has no commutator or brush. This featurealso contributes to a reduction in the size of the DR-side wiper motor21 along the axial direction of the rotating shaft 46 thereof.

The first sensor magnet MG1 is magnetized so as to have a plurality ofmagnetic poles (S poles and N poles) arranged along the direction ofrotation of the rotating shaft 46. A first Hall IC 94 a, a second HallIC 94 b, and a third Hall IC 94 c are arranged on an opposing portion tothe first sensor magnet MG1 on the control board 90 (see FIG. 7). TheseHall ICs 94 a, 94 b, and 94 c detect a rotation status of the rotatingshaft 46 (the number of rotations, the direction of rotation, and thelike).

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the decelerating mechanism housing unit 42 isformed substantially into a bottomed, bathtub shape. In the deceleratingmechanism housing unit 42, a bottom 42 a and a side wall 42 b formed soas to enclose the bottom 42 a are provided. Further, an opening 42 c isprovided on a side of the side wall 42 b that is opposite to the bottom42 a (an upper side in FIG. 5). The bottom 42 a and the opening 42 c areopposite to each other in an axial direction of the worm wheel 50. Theopening 42 c is sealed by the gear cover 80 (see FIG. 7).

A boss 42 d is integrally provided on the bottom 42 a of thedecelerating mechanism housing unit 42 so that the boss 42 d projectstoward the outside of the decelerating mechanism housing unit 42 (at anupper side in FIG. 2). Three mounting legs (fixing legs) 42 e areintegrally provided on the side wall 42 b of the decelerating mechanismhousing unit 42 so that the mounting legs 42 e project radially from theboss 42 d as a central portion. Rubber bushes RB, through each of whicha fixing bolt (not shown in the drawing) is configured to put, areattached to two of these mounting legs 42 e, respectively. Further, aninsertion rubber IR, which is configured to be inserted in the DR-sideinsertion fixing portion 14 a (see FIG. 1), is attached to the remainingone of the mounting legs 42 e.

In this manner, the DR-side wiper motor 21 is fixed to the vehicle 10via the rubber bushes RB and the insertion rubber IR, and each of therubber bushes RB and the insertion rubber IR function as bufferingmembers. Therefore, when the DR-side wiper motor 21 is fixed to thevehicle 10 (see FIG. 1), vibration of the DR-side wiper motor 21 ishardly transmitted to the vehicle 10, and this further improves thequietness of the vehicle 10. Conversely, since vibration of the vehicle10 is hardly transmitted to the DR-side wiper motor 21, it is possibleto protect the DR-side wiper motor 21 from the vibration.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the worm wheel 50 is rotatably housed insidethe decelerating mechanism housing unit 42. The worm wheel 50 is madeof, for example, polyacetal (POM) resin and is formed into asubstantially disc shape. Gear teeth (teeth) 50 a are formed on theouter periphery of the worm wheel 50. The teeth 46 a of the worm 46 bengage with the gear teeth 50 a of the worm wheel 50.

One end side of an output shaft 51 in an axial direction is fixed to acenter of rotation of the worm wheel 50. The output shaft 51 isrotatably supported by the boss 42 d of the decelerating mechanismhousing unit 42. The other end side of the output shaft 51 in the axialdirection extends to the outside of the decelerating mechanism housingunit 42, and a base end of the DR-side wiper arm 22 (see FIG. 1) isfixed to the other end of the output shaft 51 in the axial direction.This causes the output shaft 51 to be rotated by means of the rotor 45(see FIG. 3). Specifically, speed of rotation of the rotating shaft 46is reduced by the decelerating mechanism SD to create a high torque,whereby turning force with the high torque thus reduced is transmittedfrom the output shaft 51 to the DR-side wiper arm 22 provided outsidethe decelerating mechanism housing unit 42. In this manner, thedecelerating mechanism SD reduces the speed of rotation of the rotor 45,and transmits the turning force with the high torque, which is createdby reducing the speed of rotation, to the DR-side wiper arm 22.

As shown in FIG. 5, a disc-shaped second sensor magnet MG2 is fixed atthe center of rotation of the worm wheel 50 and at a side opposite tothe side on which the output shaft 51 is provided. The second sensormagnet MG2 is magnetized so as to have a plurality of magnetic poles (Spoles and N poles) arranged along the direction of rotation of theoutput shaft 51. The second sensor magnet MG2 is provided at one endside of the output shaft 51 in the axial direction, and is rotatedtogether with the output shaft 51 and worm wheel 50. An MR sensor 95 isdisposed on an opposing portion to the second sensor magnet MG2 on thecontrol board 90 (see FIG. 7). The MR sensor 95 thus detects rotationstatuses (the direction of rotation, a rotational position, and thelike) of the output shaft 51 and the worm wheel 50.

As shown in FIG. 5, a second bearing fitting portion 52 is provided onthe side wall 42 b of the decelerating mechanism housing unit 42. Thesecond bearing fitting portion 52 is disposed coaxially with the firstbearing fitting portion 48 (see FIG. 3), and a second ball bearing 49 ishoused in the second bearing fitting portion 52. Here, the second ballbearing 49 is fitted in the second bearing fitting portion 52 by puttingthe second ball bearing 49 through the through hole 41 c and the firstbearing fitting portion 48 in a state where the second ball bearing 49is mounted on the other end side of the rotating shaft 46 in the axialdirection.

The second ball bearing 49 is not pressed into the second bearingfitting portion 52, but is fitted loosely therein with a smallclearance. As a result, for example, even if imperfect alignment betweenthe first bearing fitting portion 48 and the second bearing fittingportion 52 occurs slightly at the time of manufacturing the housing 40,rotational resistance of the rotating shaft 46 does not increase. Thisalso suppresses mechanical noises generated by the DR-side wiper motor21, whereby it is possible to improve its quietness.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, the motor cover 60 is formed into abottomed, cylindrical shape. The motor cover 60 includes a bottom 61formed into a substantially disc shape and a cylindrical wall 62 thatencircles the bottom 61. A concave portion 61 a hollowed toward thecylindrical wall 62 is provided at a central portion of the bottom 61.The concave portion 61 a is provided in order to enhance the strength ofthe bottom 61. In other words, by providing the concave portion 61 a onthe bottom 61, the bottom 61 is hardly bended. This prevents the motorcover 60 from resonating with the vibration or the like when the DR-sidewiper motor 21 is operated, whereby the quietness of the DR-side wipermotor 21 is improved.

As shown in FIG. 3, the fitting portion 62 a, which is fitted on thecover fitting portion 41 a of the motor housing unit 41, is provided ata portion of the cylindrical wall 62 that is closer to the motor housingunit 41. This fitting portion 62 a is formed into an annular shape, andis also formed into a stepped shape in the same manner as the coverfitting portion 41 a so that the fitting portion 62 a fits with thecover fitting portion 41 a.

As shown in FIG. 7, the gear cover 80 seals the opening 42 c (see FIG.5) of the decelerating mechanism housing unit 42, and has an outlineshape slimier to that of the opening 42 c. The gear cover 80 includes abottom wall 81 and a side wall 82. The control board (board) 90 is fixedto the bottom wall 81 inside the gear cover 80 by means of first fixingscrews SC1.

Further, a connector connecting portion 82 a, to which an outerconnector (not shown in the drawing) on the vehicle 10 side isconnected, is integrally provided on the side wall 82 of the gear cover80. Terminals (not shown in the drawing) at one end sides of a pluralityof conductive members CM are exposed inside the connector connectingportion 82 a. On the other hand, terminals TM at the other end sides ofthe conductive members CM are electrically connected to the controlboard 90. An on-vehicle battery and a wiper switch (not shown in thedrawing) are electrically connected to the outer connector on thevehicle 10 side.

As shown in FIG. 7, the control board 90 includes a first surface 91 anda second surface 92. The first surface 91 faces a side of the gear cover80 opposite to the bottom wall 81, that is, the side on which therotating shaft 46 and output shaft 51 are arranged (an upper side inFIG. 7). The second surface 92 faces the bottom wall 81 side of the gearcover 80, that is, the side opposite to the first surface 91 (a lowerside in FIG. 7).

A CPU 93, the first Hall IC 94 a, the second Hall IC 94 b, and the thirdHall IC 94 c, and the MR sensor 95 are provided on the first surface 91of the control board 90. The CPU 93 is configured to totally control theDR-side wiper motor 21. The first, second, and third Hall ICs 94 a, 94b, and 94 c face the first sensor magnet MG1 (see FIG. 6). The MR sensor95 faces the second sensor magnet MG2 (see FIG. 5). The three Hall ICs94 a, 94 b, and 94 c are arranged at predetermined intervals along thedirection of rotation of the first sensor magnet MG1.

On the other hand, an FET module 96 and a capacitor CP are provided onthe second surface 92 of the control board 90. The FET module 96 is anelectronic component for a driving system. The capacitor CP is anotherelectronic component. Here, the FET module 96 is composed of a pluralityof switching elements that switch energized states of the respectivecoils 44 c of three phases (see FIG. 4) at a high speed. Therefore, theFET module 96 tends to generate heat. Accordingly, in order to improve aheat dissipation property of the FET module 96, the FET module 96 isconnected to the housing 40 via a heat conductive member 97 a and a heatconductive sheet 97 b.

As shown in FIG. 7, the FET module 96 is fixed to the bottom wall 81 ofthe gear cover 80 by means of a pair of second fixing screws SC2 beforethe control board 90 is mounted on the bottom wall 81 of the gear cover80. Then, the FET module 96 is actually mounted on the second surface 92of the control board 90 by connecting means such as soldering.

Here, the CPU 93 and the FET module 96 are configured to supply a drivecurrent to the DR-side wiper motor 21 to control the rotation of therotor 45 (see FIG. 4). The CPU 93 controls the FET module 96 on thebasis of values (rectangular wave signals) detected by each of the HallICs 94 a, 94 b, and 94 c and the MR sensor 95. Thus, the rotation of therotor 45 is controlled.

Here, it was found that, when the acoustic sensitivities (dB) of vehicleinteriors (near the driver's seat) of a light vehicle, a midsizevehicle, and a luxury vehicle are compared with each other, a tendencyindicated in a graph of FIG. 8 is shown during a normal operation (atthe time of a Lo-level operation). Namely, since the light vehicle (aweight of the vehicle is less than 1 ton and the like) is designed withemphasis on reduction of its weight, for example, a portion with lowrigidity exists. For that reason, in the case of the light vehicle,noises with high frequencies of about 1 kHz echo in the vehicle interiorthereof easily compared with the case of the midsize vehicle and luxuryvehicle.

On the other hand, since the case of the luxury vehicle (a weight of thevehicle is a 2-ton class and the like) is designed with emphasis on thequietness of its vehicle interior, the luxury vehicle often adopts lotsof steel plates with high rigidity and adds a noise-proofing sheet. Forthis reason, in the case of the luxury vehicle, noises with highfrequencies of about 1 kHz hardly echo in the vehicle interior thereof.The midsize vehicle (a weight of the vehicle is less than 1.5 ton andthe like) has acoustic sensitivity (dB) of the vehicle interior betweenthat of the light vehicle and that of the luxury vehicle.

In contrast, in a low frequency range of about 150 Hz to 300 Hz, whichcorresponds to the frequency of mechanical noises from the deceleratingmechanism SD, each of the light vehicle, the midsize vehicle, and theluxury vehicle has the acoustic sensitivities (dB) that is not thatdifferent to each other. In other words, it can be said that the noiseswith a low frequency range of about 150 Hz to 300 Hz are noises thathardly echo in the vehicle interior and are hardly heard regardless ofthe rigidity of the vehicle body or the like.

Here, the DR-side wiper motor 21 according to the present invention isthe 4-pole/6-slot type brushless motor in which the stator 44 is fixedto the housing 40, which is fixed to the vehicle 10. Therefore, thisstructure allows the magnetic noises, which has low frequencies of about150 Hz to 500 Hz, from the DR-side wiper motor 21 to be easily matchedwith a low frequency range of about 160 Hz to 400 Hz.

Therefore, by matching both the frequencies of magnetic noises and thefrequencies of mechanical noises generated by the DR-side wiper motor 21to be integrated into a low frequency range of about 150 Hz to 500 Hz,more preferably, to a narrower low frequency range of about 160 Hz to400 Hz, it is possible to reduce a difference in the acousticsensitivity (dB) between the light vehicle and the luxury vehicle (whichis indicated by the area of a hatched portion (a) in FIG. 8, that is, adifference between the maximum acoustic sensitivity and the minimumacoustic sensitivity). This allows the DR-side wiper motor 21 to beapplied to the light vehicle as well as to the luxury vehicle withoutany problem. In other words, according to the DR-side wiper motor 21 ofthe present invention, its versatility can be improved widely byintegrating the frequency range of noises generated by the DR-side wipermotor 21 into a low frequency range.

Furthermore, reduction in variation of the frequencies (the width of theoverall frequency range of the motor) allows the frequency range forimplementing measure against noise to be limited. For this reason,further measure against noise using buffering members (insertion rubbersIR, rubber bushes RB, and the like) becomes easy. Here, a target fornoise suppression is generally determined to some extent according to amaterial making up the buffering member such as buffering membersdedicated to suppress noises with high frequencies, buffering membersdedicated to suppress noises with low frequencies, and the like. Forthat reason, in a case where frequency variation of targeted motors (thewidth of the overall frequency range of the motor) is wide, it becomesdifficult to carry out measure against the whole noises for the motor.

Further, a motor with a brush described as a reference example has manymagnetic poles (for example, four magnetic poles) in association withreduction in its size and weight. Such a motor is provided with threebrushes in order to be capable of changing its wiping speed between a“Hi level” and a “Lo level”. This motor with the brushes generatesmagnetic noises with high frequencies, especially frequencies around 1kHz. For that reason, a difference in the acoustic sensitivity (dB)between the light vehicle and the luxury vehicle (which is indicated bythe area of a hatched portion (b) in FIG. 8, that is, a differencebetween the maximum acoustic sensitivity and the minimum acousticsensitivity) becomes large, and it becomes difficult to apply the motorto the light vehicle.

Moreover, the conventional technique described in Background of theInvention adopted a brushless motor (6-pole/9-slot type motor) havingmore magnetic poles and slots than those of the motor according to thepresent invention. In this motor, a stator is fixed to a yoke that is aseparate element to a gear housing. Therefore, magnetic noises from themotor according to the conventional technique are higher in frequencythan the magnetic noises from the motor according to the presentinvention, and have a frequency around 600 Hz. For that reason, in thecase of the motor of the conventional technique, a difference in theacoustic sensitivity (dB) between the light vehicle and the luxuryvehicle (which is indicated by the area of a hatched portion (c) in FIG.8, that is, a difference between the maximum acoustic sensitivity andthe minimum acoustic sensitivity) becomes larger than in the case of themotor according to the present invention. Further, since the stator isfixed to the vehicle via two elements, that is, the yoke and the gearhousing in the motor of the conventional technique, variation in noisesgenerated by various products occurs in a frequency range of about 150Hz to 775 Hz, which is wider than the frequency range of noises achievedby the present invention, due to variation in the fixing strength of theyoke and the gear housing.

As described above in detail, according to the present embodiment, byconstituting the brushless wiper motor as the 4-pole/6-slot type, theshape of the stator 44 can be made mirror symmetric with respect to therotor 45. Therefore, rotational deflection of the rotor 45 can besuppressed. Further, as the minimum number of poles and the minimumnumber of slots that can suppress the rotational deflection of the rotor45, a frequency of magnetic noises generated during the rotation of therotor can approach a frequency of mechanical noises of the deceleratingmechanism SD (low frequency around a frequency range of about 150 Hz to300 Hz). This makes it possible to integrate each of frequencies ofmagnetic noises and mechanical noises generated by the DR-side wipermotor 21 into a low frequency range thereof. Thus, it is possible toreduce the acoustic sensitivity (dB) of the vehicle interior to improvethe quietness of the motor. Therefore, the brushless wiper motor caneasily be applied to light vehicles and luxury vehicles, and it can alsobe applied to electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and the like(improvement in general versatility).

Further, the mounting legs 42 e that are respectively fixed to the cowltop panel 12, the front side member 13, and the dash panel upper 14 areprovided in the housing 40 while fixing the stator 44 inside the housing40. Thus, the stator 40, which is a source of the magnetic noises, canbe fixed to the vehicle 10 only via the housing 40. Therefore, theacoustic sensitivity (dB) of the vehicle interior can be estimatedeasily by merely calculating rigidity of the housing 40, for example. Inother words, it becomes possible to design a brushless wiper motorhaving a structure advantageous for improvement of quietness certainlyand easily. This makes it possible to provide a brushless wiper motorwith quietness improved further.

Moreover, according to the present embodiment, the deceleratingmechanism SD has the worm 46 b rotated by the rotor 45, and the wormwheel 50 provided with the gear teeth 50 a that is configured to engagewith the worm 46 b wherein the output shaft 51 is provided on the centerof rotation of the worm wheel. The axial dimension L1 of the rotor 45 ismade smaller than the axial dimension L2 of the worm 46 b (L1<L2). Thismakes it possible to make the size of the DR-side wiper motor 21 alongthe axial direction of the rotating shaft 46 smaller, and it is possibleto reduce weight thereof further. Thus, it is possible to apply theDR-side wiper motor 21 to light vehicles easily.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the mounting legs 42 e arefixed to the cowl top panel 12, the front side member 13, and the dashpanel upper 14 via the rubber bush RB, the rubber bush RB, and theinsertion rubber IR, respectively. Therefore, the vibration of theDR-side wiper motor 21 is hardly transmitted to the vehicle 10. Thismakes it possible to make the acoustic sensitivity (dB) of the vehicleinterior smaller. Further, the DR-side wiper motor 21 is protected fromthe vibration of the vehicle 10. This makes it possible to prevent theDR-side wiper motor 21 from being damaged quickly.

Moreover, according to the present embodiment, the frequencies of noisesgenerated by the DR-side wiper motor 21 can be integrated into a lowfrequency range. This makes it possible to improve the versatility ofthe DR-side wiper motor 21 significantly. Furthermore, reduction invariation of the frequencies (the width of the overall frequency rangeof the motor) allows the frequency range for implementing measureagainst noise to be limited. For this reason, further measure againstnoise using buffering members (insertion rubbers IR, rubber bushes RB,and the like) becomes easy.

Moreover, according to the present embodiment, the frequencies of noisesgenerated by the DR-side wiper motor 21 can be integrated into a lowfrequency range. For this reason, an influence of operating noise by thevehicle can be reduced. In other words, the DR-side wiper motor 21 ishardly influenced by vibration or the like from the vehicle by narrowingthe width of the overall frequency range of the motor. For this reason,it is possible to suppress a resonance and/or vibration amplificationfrom being generated, and as a result, the operating noise of theDR-side wiper motor 21 can be reduced.

According to the present embodiment, as a formula for calculating thefrequency (Hz) of noise of the DR-side wiper motor 21, the frequency(Hz) is calculated by a formula: {(the number of slots or the number ofteeth)×(the number of rotations of the output shaft (rpm))×(thereduction gear ratio)}/60. This formula puts emphasis on a frequencycomponent caused by the slots or teeth.

Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will bedescribed in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the samereference numerals are respectively applied to portions that have thesimilar functions to those of the first embodiment described above, anddetail description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of a wiper device according to thesecond embodiment.

In the first embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 1, theso-called twin wiper apparatus has been described in which the DR-sidewiper device 20 and the AS-side wiper device 30 are mounted on thedriver's seat side and the passenger's seat side along the vehicle widthdirection of the vehicle 10, respectively, and the DR-side wiper arm 22and the AS-side wiper arm 32 are driven to swing at their respectiveswing angles, respectively. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 9, a casewhere a brushless wiper motor 100 is applied to a modular wiper device101 is shown in the second embodiment.

The modular wiper device 101 includes a pipe frame 102. A portion of thebrushless wiper motor 100 that substantially serves as the center ofgravity is fixed to an approximate central part of the pipe frame 102 inits longitudinal direction (not shown in the drawing in detail).Therefore, the modular wiper device 101 is well balanced in weight,thereby easily carrying it as a single wiper device. Here, the brushlesswiper motor 100 applied to the modular wiper device 101 includes onemounting leg 42 e that is fixed by a fixing bolt (not shown in thedrawing). This mounting leg 42 e is fixed to a dash panel upper 14 (seeFIG. 1), which serves as a vehicle body fixed portion, via a rubber bushRB. Further, the rubber bush RB provided on the mounting leg 42 e may bereplaced by an insertion rubber IR to fix the mounting leg 42 e to avehicle. Structural elements of the brushless wiper motor 100 other thanthe structural elements described above are the same as the structuralelements of the DR-side wiper motor 21 according to the firstembodiment.

A first pivot holder 103 a and a second pivot holder 103 b are fixed toboth sides of the pipe frame 102 in the longitudinal direction,respectively. The first and second pivot holders 103 a, 103 b rotatablysupport a first pivot 104 a and a second pivot 104 b, respectively.Here, a first mounting portion 105 a and a second mounting portion 105b, which are respectively fixed to front side members 13 (see FIG. 1),are provided on the first pivot holder 103 a and the second pivot holder103 b.

A link mechanism 106 is provided between base ends of the first andsecond pivots 104 a, 104 b. The link mechanism 106 is configured totransmit a swinging motion of an output shaft 51 to the first and secondpivots 104 a, 104 b. Base ends of wiper arms 22, 32 (see FIG. 1) arefixed to front ends of the first and second pivots 104 a, 104 b,respectively. In other words, the link mechanism 106 is disposed betweenthe output shaft 51 and the wiper arms 22, 32.

The link mechanism 106 is composed of a crank arm 106 a, a pair of drivelevers 106 b, 106 c, a connection rod 106 d, and a drive rod 106 e. Thecrank arm 106 a is fixed to the output shaft 51. The pair of drivelevers 106 b, 106 c is fixed to the base ends of the first and secondpivots 104 a, 104 b, respectively. The connection rod 106 d is providedbetween the drive lever 106 b and the drive lever 106 c. The drive rod106 e provided between the drive lever 106 c and the crank arm 106 a.

Here, each of the crank arm 106 a, the drive levers 106 b, 106 c, theconnection rod 106 d, and drive rod 106 e, which constitute the linkmechanism 106, is formed into a predetermined shape by pressing a steelplate. This process also contributes to weight saving.

The second embodiment configured as described above can achieve the sameeffects as those of the first embodiment.

The present invention is not limited to each of the above embodiments.It goes without saying that the present invention may be modified intovarious forms of applications without departing from the substance ofthe invention. For example, in the first embodiment, it has beendescribed that the three mounting legs 42 e are provided in the DR-sidewiper motor 21, one of the three mounting legs 42 e is provided as aninsertion type mounting leg, and the other two of them are provided asbolt-fixed type mounting legs. However, the present invention is notlimited to this, and all of the three mounting legs 42 e may be providedas the bolt-fixed type mounting legs.

Further, in each of the embodiments described above, it has beendescribed that the DR-side wiper motor 21 and the brushless wiper motor100 drives the DR-side wiper arm 22 and AS-side wiper arm 32 so as toswing on the windshield 11, respectively. However, the present inventionis not limited to this, and can also be adopted as a wiper motor thatdrives a wiper arm so as to swing on the rear window.

Moreover, in each of the embodiments described above, it has beendescribed that the present invention is applied to an inner rotor typebrushless wiper motor in which the rotor 45 is rotatably disposed insidethe stator 44. However, the present invention is not limited to such awiper motor, but can also be applied to an outer rotor type brushlesswiper motor in which a rotor is disposed outside a stator.

A brushless wiper motor is used as a driving source for a wiper devicethat is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, and is used to drivea wiper arm to swing and wipe rainwater and the like attached onto awindshield away from the windshield.

While the present disclosure has been illustrated and described withrespect to a particular embodiment thereof, it should be appreciated bythose of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications to thisdisclosure may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A brushless wiper motor configured to cause awiper member to swing, the wiper member wiping an object attached onto awindshield of a vehicle away from the windshield, the brushless wipermotor comprising: a stator fixed inside a housing, a plurality of teethbeing formed on an inner periphery of the stator; a coil wound aroundthe teeth; a rotor configured to rotate with respect to the stator; apermanent magnet provided on the rotor, the permanent magnet having fourmagnetic poles arranged alternately along a direction of rotation of therotor; a decelerating mechanism housed in the housing, the deceleratingmechanism being configured to reduce speed of rotation of the rotor; anoutput shaft configured to transmit rotation of the deceleratingmechanism to the wiper member; and a plurality of fixing legs providedon the housing, wherein the housing includes a motor housing unit thathouses the stator and a decelerating mechanism housing unit that housesthe decelerating mechanism, wherein the motor housing unit is formedinto a bottomed cylindrical shape, a stepped portion is formed on theinterior of the motor housing unit, and an end portion of the stator inan axial direction of the rotor abuts on the stepped portion, andwherein at least one of the plurality of fixing legs is fixed to avehicle body fixed portion that extends in a right-to-left direction ofthe vehicle.
 2. The brushless wiper motor according to claim 1, whereinfrequencies of noises generated by the brushless wiper motor is madeequal to or lower than 500 Hz.
 3. The brushless wiper motor according toclaim 1, wherein the decelerating mechanism includes: a worm rotated bythe rotor; and a worm wheel provided with teeth, the teeth beingconfigured to engage with the worm, the output shaft being provided on acenter of rotation of the worm wheel, wherein an axial dimension of therotor is smaller than an axial dimension of the worm.
 4. The brushlesswiper motor according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the pluralityof fixing legs is fixed to the vehicle body fixed portion via abuffering member.
 5. The brushless wiper motor according to claim 1,wherein the stator is provided with teeth each of which faces other onewith respect to the rotor.
 6. The brushless wiper motor according toclaim 1, wherein a number of teeth is six, and wherein frequencies ofnoises generated by the brushless wiper motor is made lower than 600 Hz.